It’s been a few years now since writers Daniel & Kevin Hageman climbed aboard the Guillermo del Toro-produced adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s bestselling children’s book triad, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but at long last, the film is now on its way to theaters and to prove it, we have the very first trailers for you up above and below.
Dropping ahead of the Super Bowl later tonight, each one’s a bite-sized, spooky look at what’ll no doubt be one of 2019’s most exciting horror movies, with del Toro’s involvement boding well for the project. Arriving hot on the heels of that creepy poster for the pic which made its way online on Friday, the footage here follows suit with its unsettling tone and promises of plenty of nightmare-inducing scares.
If one thing’s for certain, it’s that despite the source material it’s based on, it certainly doesn’t look like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is something that’s geared towards the young ones. Granted, we don’t imagine it’ll be saddled with an R-rating, but this is definitely PG-13 horror with a harder edge than what you’d usually get from that branch of the genre, and quite frankly, we’re really digging what we see.
For those unfamiliar with the property, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark follows a group of young teens as they try to solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town. Author Alvin Schwartz did extensive research for the novel, too, finding inspiration in urban legends and folklore after he spent more than a year compiling each book in the series.
CBS Films will distribute scary Stories to Tell in the Dark through Lionsgate in the United States, while Entertainment One will administer the release in Canada, UK and Australia/New Zealand. It’s due to hit theaters on August 9th and if these first two teaser trailers are any indication, it looks like we’re in for a pretty spooky summer.